Toy tops

ABSTRACT

A toy top having a top body in which is mounted a carrier member for rotation about the top body axis by means of a transmission gear operatively coupled to the top body, the top body being rotatable by a spin-imparting rod. A first bevel gear carried by the carrier member meshes with at least one second bevel gear rotatable about an axis extending radially of the top body axis. Various figures or figure carriers for example a perpetual motion machine according to Wilars, may be coupled for rotation with the second bevel gear.

United States Patent Balleis 1 Sept. 19, 1972 1 TOY TOPS [72] Inventor: Peter Balleis, Zirndorf, near Numberg, Germany [22] Filed: March 3, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 16,076

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data March 12, 1969 Germany ..P 19 12 512.3

[52] US. Cl ..46/68 [51] Int. Cl. ..r ..A63h l/06 [58] Field of Search ..46/64-68, 33, 34

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,449,858 6/1969 Balleis ..46/65 362,468 5/1887 Robinson ..46/66 2,959,872 11/1960 Rodgers ..46/34 2,809,548 10/1957 Briitting ..46/66 2,961,794 11/1960 Sachs et a1 ..46/65 3,128,099 4/1964 Stan ..46/33 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 55,518 3/1890 Germany ..46/65 591,566 3/1934 Germany ..46/66 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-A Heinz Attorney-Richards & Geier [5 7] ABSTRACT A toy top having a top body in which is mounted a carrier member for rotation about the top body axis by means of a transmission gear operatively coupled to the top body, the top body being rotatable by a spin-imparting rod. A first bevel gear carried by the carrier member meshes with at least one second bevel gear rotatable about an axis extending radially of the top body axis. Various figures or figure carriers for example a perpetual motion machine according to Wilars, may be coupled for rotation with the second bevel gear.

4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures I IIWHI I 1 :Hlllllllllll I IJHI'HHHHHTIB PATENTEDsEP 19 I872 SHEET 2 OF 2 FIGG FIGS

TOY TOPS The invention relates to a toy top.

According to the invention there is provided a toy top comprising a top body mounted to be driven by a spin-imparting rod and which is'rotatable on a fixed shaft, a carrier member located in the top body and operatively coupled through a transmission gear to the top body so as to be rotatable about the axis of the top body, a first bevel gear connected to the carrier member so as to be rotatable therewith and a second bevel gear meshing with the first bevel gear, said second bevel gear being rotatable about an axis extending substantially radially of the top body axis.

Preferably there are two second bevel gears disposed diametrically of each other. Each second bevel gear may be carried in a frame which is non-rotatable rela* tive to the fixed shaft.

Since the top will generally be provided with two second bevel gears meshing with the first bevel gear, the following remarks are to be based on this form of embodiment without thereby excluding toy tops having only one driven bevel gear. Thus, in order to show the principle in simplified form, there are derived, from a rotary movement about a vertical pivot, via the first bevel gear and one or two second bevel gears, rotary movements about one or two horizontal axes. From this principle there are derived novel developments of the toy top from the wide range of which only a few are to be mentioned.

Some of the possibilities afforded are in the field of the simple toy. It is possible, for example, to fit on stub shafts of the second bevel gears figures having moving limbs, for example a jumping jack who, if rotated through 180 out of the basic position, i.e., when standing on his head, spreads his arms and legs apart and, during further movement, once again adopts his basic position. It is also possible to fit the known gymnast on a horizontal bar on the pivot.

A further possibility is to fit on the stub shafts discs carrying circular pictures adapted to be rotated relatively to apertures in stationary discs. For example, a herd of cattle might wander past the recess.

The toy top may, however, also be used for demonstration purposes adapted to the intelligence of a child. lf, for example, the circular picture shows the sun, moon and stars, possible having zones colored some lighter and some darker, then the travel of the sun and moon may be made clear to the child, as the heavenly bodies move past the recess.

Alternatively, the round picture may be marked with the hours of the day and a hand may be fitted to the stub shaft, so that the hand travels past the hours of the day.

A further possibility involves the attachment of a picture strip, as a spiral which is conveyed past a vertical recess in a fixed disc, so that the picture ascends vertically.

More a part of the technical field are developments wherein the second bevel gears set crank drives in motion. It is for example possible to crank the stub shafts of the second bevel gears to constitute cranks and to connect with them crank drives, for example drives for pistons in transparent cylinders, so that the child is able to become acquainted with the operation of a piston drive.

Based on a crank drive of this kind, there result numerous further developments which will not be discussed in detail here.

The child will love his top increasingly in proportion as it moves to an increasing extent. In this connection, there is an especially interesting possibility, namely the drive of a perpetual motion machine according to Wilars, having pivot arms. This element chain is, it is true, not a perpetual motion machine, although inventors produce it again and again, but it has a large number of moving limbs which produce a lively image.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view in partial cross section of a preferred embodiment of the top mechanism made in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 2'shows a perspective view of a toy top embodying the mechanism of FIG. 1,

FIGS 3, 4 and 5 show a design for the above-mentioned perpetual motion machine for use with the top mechanism of the present invention, and

FIGS. 6 to 9 show further possible developments for use with the mechanism of the present invention.

The first part of the top mechanism has already been developed and disclosed in copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 882,556.

The top body 1 consists of a transparent hood 2 and a base dish 3 and is carried by a shaft 5 secured in a base 4. It is driven by a spin-imparting rod provided with a knob 6. The drive mechanism associated with the spinimparting rod is well known and will not be described. Inserted between the hood 2 and the base dish 3 is a plate or web 7 with which a pinion 8 is connected. On rotating the top body 1, therefore, the pinion 8 rotates about the shaft 5. The pinion 8 meshes with two gearwheels 9,10 mounted in a plate 1 1 fast on the shaft 5. Fast with the gearwheels 9,10 are the pinions 12, 13 disposed above the fixed plate 11 and meshing with a gearwheel l4 rotatable about the shaft 5 and constituting the carrier for a carrier member 15. When the top body 1 rotates, then, via the pinion 8, the gearwheels 9,10 are rotated about their axially extending bushes 16 mounted in the plate 11. In this rotary movement participate the pinions 12,13 which are fast with the gearwheels 9,10 and the pinions 12, 13 transmit their rotary movement to the gearwheel 14. Thus, the member 15 is put into rotation. Up to this point, the mechanism is described and claimed in the above mentioned copending application.

The mechanism made in accordance with the invention is provided by the following arrangement whereby there is fitted on the member 15, a first bevel gear 16 meshing with two second bevel gears 18,19 mounted on stub shafts 20,21 in a frame 17 secured on, and carried by, the plate 11. Thus, the rotation, taking place in a horizontal plane, of the gearwheel 14 is converted to rotation of the bevel gears 18,19 taking place in a vertical plane. The bevel gears 18,19 may be mounted either to be rotatable about the stub shafts 20,21 or fast with their associated stub shaft which is rotatable in the frame 17. There may now be connected the widest possible range of figures or figure carriers to the bevel gears 18,19 or, if the bevel gears 18,19 are fast on the stub shafts 20,21, to the stub shafts. It should be repeated that, where appropriate, there may be only one of the two second bevel gears l8, 19 provided however, these will be exceptional cases.

Before dealing with the'perpetual motion machine embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5, the simpler embodiments of FIGS. 6 to 9 will be described. In the case of some of these examples, it has been assumed that discs 22,23 are disposed on the stub shafts 20,21.

In the case of the embodiment according to FIG. 6, the stub shaft is cranked to constitute a crank 24 to which a connecting rod 25 is articulated. The connecting rod 25 serves for the reciprocation of a piston 26 in a cylinder 27 made from transparent material, so that a child is able to observe the reciprocation of the piston 26 in the cylinder 27. It is, of course, also possible to arrange a plurality of pistons in star connection, if appropriate, with their cranks 24 offset relative to each other in order to simulate a radial piston engine.

The cylinder 27 could for example also be the stationary housing of a cuckoo clock through the door of which a bird is reciprocated by means of the crank drive.

A cranked portion 24 for a crank is also involved in the embodiment of FIG. 7. In this case, the known gymnast on a horizontal bar 28 is fitted on the cranked portion and, on rotation of the shaft 20, performs a cartwheel.

If, in FIG. 7, the figure is made stationary but is of articulated design, the appearance is given as if the figure 28 were rotating the disc 22.

In the case of the embodiment according to FIG. 8, a hand 29 is fitted or painted on the disc 22. Disposed in front of the disc 22 is a ring shaped member or a disc 30 which is fast on the plate 11 and carries the numbers representing the hours, past which the hand 29 travels onrotation of the disc 22.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment having a stationary disc 31 with a recess 32 therein, mounted in front of the disc 22. Painted on the rotatable disc 22 are the sun, moon and stars, so that on rotation of the disc 22 the heavenly bodies travel past the aperture 32.

These are only a few of the many possible modes of embodiment which may be derived from the novel mechanism.

A discussion will now be given of the equipment of the top with a perpetual motion machine arrangement. The perpetual motion machine arrangement is shown, in FIG. 1, associated with one side of the mechanism. The second side may of course be similarly designed. Mounted on the disc 23 is a plurality, for example five, of rocker arms 34 which are weighted by weights 33 and mounted on pivot pins 35 having associated control cams 36 on the rear side of'the disc 23. Associated with the earns 36 is a cam follower surface 37 mounted on the frame 17. On viewing the position of the rocker arm to correspond to a cam position i.e., at the top of FIG. 3, it will be seen that the associated rocker arm depends (position A in FIG. 5). Then, on rotation of the disc 23 in the direction of the arrow P, the control cam 36 runs up on the cam follower surface 37. The rocker arm is pivoted about its pivot pin (position B in FIG. 5) and, after passing beyond its dead-center, swings downwardly (position C in FIG. 5), to bear a ainst a abutment or stog 38. On further rotation of t e disc 3, it passes, via t e positions D, E, back into position A, whereupon the cycle recommences. It was originally believed, due to ignorance of the physical laws, that the radially outwardly directed weights (between the positions B, C, D) produce a torque which would suffice to once again raise the depending weights (positions A and E), so that the device would be able to continue to operate perpetually after having been given a push on one occasion only. Such an arrangement is interesting for a toy top, since it contains so many moving parts.

It has already been stated that discs may be fitted on the stub shafts 20,21 of the bevel gears 18,19. This is especially advantageous if the discs are designed as disc-type flywheels, i.e., so that they have a sufficiently large mass to enable them, in the manner of a flywheel, to assist in the overcoming of obstacles to motion.

The entire mechanism may be fitted in a decorated, stationary housing through the walls of which the stub shafts 20,21 extend, for example in the form of a windmill, the stub shaft carrying the windmill sails.

I claim:

1. A toy top, comprising a base, a vertical shaft fixed upon said base, a top body having a transparent hood, a spin-imparting rod connected with said hood and a horizontal web connected with said hood; a pinion fixed to said web, a plate fixed to said shaft, and having at least one axial bushing, a gear wheel located beneath said plate and journalled in said bushing, said gear wheel meshing with said pinion, at least one other pinion rigidly and concentrically connected to said gear wheel, another gear wheel meshing with said other pinion and rotatable around said shaft, a vertical column-like carrier member mounted upon said other gear wheel, a bevel gear concentrically fixed to said carrier member, a frame secured to and carried by said plate, at least one horizontal stub shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, another bevel gear mounted on said stub shaft and meshing with the first-mentioned bevel gear and a toy figure carrying member connected with said other bevel gear.

2. A toy top in accordance with claim I, wherein said toy figure carrying member has a disc-like shape.

3. A toy top in accordance with claim 1, comprising a plurality of axes carried by said toy figure carrying member and extending perpendicularly thereto, and toy figures carried by said axes and swingable by gravity.

4. A toy top in accordance with claim 1, comprising a crank mounted in said toy figure carrying member and a toy figure connected with said crank. 

1. A toy top, comprising a base, a vertical shaft fixed upon said base, a top body having a transparent hood, a spin-imparting rod connected with said hood and a horizontal web connected with said hood; a pinion fixed to said web, a plate fixed to said shaft, and having at least one axial bushing, a gear wheel located beneath said plate and journalled in said bushing, said gear wheel meshing with said pinion, at least one other pinion rigidly and concentrically connected to said gear wheel, another gear wheel meshing with said other pinion and rotatable around said shaft, a vertical column-like carrier member mounted upon said other gear wheel, a bevel gear concentrically fixed to said carrier member, a frame secured to and carried by said plate, at least one horizontal stub shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, another bevel gear mounted on said stub shaft and meshing with the first-mentioned bevel gear and a toy figure carrying member connected with said other bevel gear.
 2. A toy top in accordance with claim 1, wherein said toy figure carrying member has a disc-like shape.
 3. A toy top in accordance with claim 1, comprising a plurality of axes carried by said toy figure carrying member and extending perpendicularly thereto, and toy figures carried by said axes and swingable by gravity.
 4. A toy top in accordance with claim 1, comprising a crank mounted in said toy figure carrying member and a toy figure connected with said crank. 